Saturday, July 5, 2014

On a night when the
Knights offense lacked its usual firepower, a record crowd of 10,539 at
BB&T BallPark simply waited for the game to end for its fireworks show.

Charlotte’s offense
mustered just two runs on six hits against Chris Jones (5-5) and the Norfolk
Tides in a 7-2 loss this Independence Day.

Asked about what its
like to play baseball on the 4th, Knights manager Joel Skinner, who caught for
nine seasons in the Major Leagues before becoming a skipper, grew
nostalgic.

“On the 4th of
July, you go to the ballpark,” Skinner said. “I can remember when I was in New
York, we’d go to the old ballpark in Cleveland on the 4th and
there’d be 80 thousand people. Those are some great memories.”

Although the Knights
failed make any lasting memories on the field Friday, the local turnout will
surely stick in the minds of the players. Fans lined the fences all the way
around the ballpark and thousands more parked themselves on blankets in Romare
Bearden Park.

“We always seem to
have a big crowd (on the 4th),” Knights centerfielder Jordan Danks
said. “It’s the one night of the year that I actually stick around and watch
the fireworks. This is just kind of a special time for us to play and I know we
all have fun doing it.”

As for the game, it
wound up being a reminder that over the course of a baseball season, things
tend to even out.

Unfortunately for
Knights starter Dylan Axelrod (5-7), he found himself on the wrong side of the
law of averages. Axelrod had dominated Norfolk in three appearances (two
starts) this season, posting a 1-0 record and a 2.77 ERA to go along with 17
strikeouts.

Those numbers came
crashing back to Earth like one of those weeping willow-looking plumes of ash
that lit up the city sky when the right-hander allowed eight hits, three walks,
and five runs in five innings.

The Tides pushed
across single runs in the first and third innings, before getting to the
Knights pitcher for three in his final inning of work.

Buck Britton and his
awesome baseball name knocked in the game’s third run in the fifth with a
bases-loaded single. Xavier Paul followed with a sacrifice fly and Steve
Lombardozzi – who homered earlier in the game – pushed home a run with a
groundout.

Britton finished the
night a team-best 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.

In the fifth,
Charlotte loaded the bases with one out, but failed to score.

Jordan Danks was able
to provide a highlight for fans to go home with when he made a diving catch on
a line drive to right center in the eighth inning.

“I was just trying
to make things happen,” said Danks, who finished 0-for-3 with a walk.
“Obviously, I wasn’t making things happen with the bat tonight, so I tried to
do what I could with the glove.”

The Knights lone run
off Jones, who went five innings while scattering three hits and striking out
five, came in the fifth when Tyler Saladino doubled and later came into score
on a Micah Johnson fielder’s choice.

Matt Tuiasosopo added
a solo home run in the ninth.

Notes: Friday’s crowd of 10,539 gives the Knights a total attendance of
422,229 this season. They’re now just 6,903 short of passing their all-time
attendance mark of 429,132 set in 2008 at Knights stadium. Charlotte has
averaged a minor-league best 9,569 fans per game.